Your body cries out for roughly eight hours of sleep at night after you’ve completed 10,000 steps and consumed eight glasses of water. And even if you want to sleep for a long time, you find yourself waking up at two in the morning every day, causing you to ask yourself, “Why?”
Doctors say there is a single, easy thing you may be doing that causes you to wake up in the middle of the night.
In the middle of the night, you awaken. When you wake up, what do you do? You’re not the only one who says, “Check the time.” It seems instinctive, even natural, to grab your phone or check the time.
However, this one activity can be the cause of your difficulty falling back asleep.
Doctors claim that as soon as you notice the time, you begin to figure out how long you’ve been up and how many hours till the alarm goes off to begin a busy day.
According to Dr. Carleara Weiss, a sleep expert, “people who check the clock during the night tend to have worse sleep quality overall.” “The clock-monitoring habit may increase pre-sleep anxiety and worry during the night, according to behavioral sleep medicine science.”
This implies that mental math causes your brain to go into stress mode, which makes it even more difficult to unwind. You may experience a rise in heart rate, mental agitation, and abrupt awakening.
Dr. Weiss told Well+Good, “We’ve seen people who got too attached to this habit and started waking up every night at the same time to check the clock.”
Additionally, the doctor cautions that using a mobile device, such as a phone or smart watch, to check the time is making matters worse.
“Just doing this makes a huge difference because we know bright light from electronic devices affects the natural production of melatonin,” Weiss stated in an interview with BuzzFeed.
Weiss claims that the blue light from mobile devices lowers melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep, by tricking your brain into believing it is daytime. Even a brief exposure can prevent you from falling back asleep.
How wake-ups can be avoided
First, fight the urge to look at the clock. Before you go to bed, turn your clock away from you if you require an alarm in the morning. Keep your phone face down and on mute when using it. It’s easier to go back asleep on your own if you spend less time at night.
Get out of bed if your body is refusing to let you sleep again.
According to Dr. Luis Buenaver, laying awake in bed for extended periods of time might teach your brain negative behaviors, which may seem counterintuitive.
Even if you’re reading, it’s crucial to get out of bed, according to Buenaver, a sleep specialist at Johns Hopkins. By doing this, your body and brain will start to link your bed with being awake rather than sleeping. Getting out of a warm, cozy bed in the middle of the night can be challenging. However, consider this action as an investment in greater sleep, if not now, then tomorrow and beyond.
Finally, only go back to sleep when you’re tired. This technique, known as sensory control therapy, aims to assist your brain in associating sleep with your bed instead of agitation and alertness.
What triggers awakenings
Most adults experience roughly 15 brief awakenings per night, according to experts, who stress that waking up during the night is quite normal.
According to Michael Perlis, head of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, these brief arousals—which can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes—are “amnestic,” meaning that people typically don’t remember them.
“It’s debatable exactly why these occur,” Perlis stated, adding that these disruptions in sleep typically occur as a person moves from one stage of sleep to another. “However, it’s a good thing that you tend to move your body position during these fleeting awakenings.”
Yet, one in five Americans experience two or three noticeable wake-ups per night, which is known as medium maintenance insomnia.
Do not panic.
The body is resilient, as sleep scientists warn us. After a rough night, you could feel sleepy or lethargic, but you’ll probably get more rest the next day to make up for it.
Following your regular routine is the best course of action following a poor night. Avoid taking too many naps or going to bed much earlier than normal because these behaviors can disrupt your internal schedule and ultimately worsen the situation.
Boost your sleep hygiene
Now that you are aware of how blue lights and clock-watching interfere with your sleep, the Mayo Clinic has some further advice to help you establish good sleep hygiene.
Maintain a regular sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, including on the weekends.
Establish a relaxing nighttime routine: Relaxing pursuits like reading, light stretching, or deep breathing might help you wind down.
Make the most of the atmosphere in your bedroom: Make sure your room is quiet, dark, and chilly. Invest in pillows and a cozy mattress.
Drink no more than one drink of alcohol at least four hours before bed, and avoid caffeine-containing beverages after noon. While alcohol initially sedates, it can cause sleep disturbances later in the night, and caffeine can remain in your system for hours.
Handle stress during the day: You can avoid stress disrupting your sleep by engaging in mindfulness exercises, journaling, or physical activity.
A doctor can assist in determining the underlying reason of your sleeplessness and offer specific remedies if it is interfering with your everyday activities.
Refrain from clock-watching and maintain proper sleep hygiene the next time you wake up in the middle of the night! Your body is capable of falling asleep; sometimes it just requires a little assistance.
To help us hear from others, please share this story and then tell us how you maintain good sleep hygiene!
